In her three previous books, Donna Farhi wrote about practicing asana and pranayama, and about integrating the principles of yoga into daily living. In Teaching Yoga, she turns her attention to establishing standards for her own profession. Drawing on decades of teaching experience and training those who teach, she is supremely qualified for the task.

With compassion and discrimination, she discusses questions that are at the heart of yoga teaching. They are at once practical and provocative, complex and controversial:

What does it mean to be a yoga teacher?

What is the teacher-student relationship? Is it sacred? If so, why?

How can a yoga teacher create healthy boundaries both in and out of the classroom?

How does a yoga teacher create physical and emotional safety for the student?

Is it okay for a yoga teacher to have sex with a student?

How does a yoga teacher communicate with a student through words and touch?

How can a yoga teacher conduct the business of teaching and uphold the integrity of yoga as a philosophy, a science, and an art?

What is a reasonable class size? How should a teacher dress? How much should a class cost?

And more.

Whether you are a teacher, or are in training to teach, or are a seasoned student, Teaching Yoga will help you give to and get the best from yoga. Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and yoga's precepts (yamas and niyamas) form the foundation of Donna's examination. Woven throughout are examples from her own teaching challenges and those of others in what she calls "Ethical Inquiries." In The Teacher's Workbook section, she presents sample Ethical Inquiries, which invite yoga teachers to work individually and together. The Ethical Inquiries and the bonus CD are dynamic learning tools that can be used time and again.

In Teaching Yoga, Donna Farhi supports the teacher's process of deep inquiry and reflection, so that an authentic yoga practice can flourish. Her abiding love for yoga shines through.